Final Unit: - Weebly



Final Unit:

How the Human Body Moves

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ED 109.02

Spring 2008

Kerry Kennedy

Erin Gallagher

Science Background for Unit on the Human Body

STANDARDS

NRC Standards:

∙ Life Science Standard C (characteristics of organisms): Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking.

∙ Life Science Content Standard C (characteristics of organisms): The behavior of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues and by external cues. Humans and other organisms have senses that help them detect internal and external cues.

∙ Life Science Content Standard C (characteristics of organisms): Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met. The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms.

∙ Life Science Standard C (structure and function in living systems): The human organism has systems for digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, control, and coordination, and for protection from disease. These systems interact with one another.

AAAS Benchmark 6C:

∙ The Human Organism: Basic Functions: The brain gets signals from all parts of the body telling what is going on there. The brain also sends signals to parts of the body to influence what they do.

∙ The Human Organism: Basic Functions: By breathing, people take in the oxygen they need to live.

Science as Inquiry (for 4th and 5th grades):

1. Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.

2. Employ simple and appropriate equipment and tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data and extend the senses.

3. Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.

4. Communicate investigations and explanations; recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.

5. Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.

6. Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.

7. Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.

ELABORATION

In this unit, the students are expected to come to understand that the bodies of human beings rely on a very intricate system of organs and parts that each serve different functions but work together to make the human body move. Specifically, they will discover how the muscles and joints work together in movement. Every muscle works in partnership with another – one expands as the other contracts. Muscles are also attached to bones, which support the body structure. Joints are the places where two or more bones meet and they, too, help allow for body movement. We will be focusing only on the three main movable joints: ball and socket, hinge, and gliding.

Aside from just listing each of these joints, the students should be able to describe each type as well. The ball and socket joint is a movable joint in which one bone has a round end that fits into a cup-like cavity on another bone. This joint provides a person with a wide range of movement, as seen in the way a person can move their hips and shoulders in almost any direction. The hinge joint allows bones to move back and forth like the hinges on a door. Examples of hinge joints include a person’s elbows, knees, fingers, and toes. The third joint is the gliding joint, found in one’s wrists and ankles. The gliding joint exists where two mostly flat bone surfaces move against each other allowing sliding or twisting without any circular movement. While the muscles and joints seem to be enough to make our bodies move, they certainly are not.

The students will also learn how human behavior is largely influenced by one’s surroundings. The nervous system and senses help our bodies to react appropriately to what is happening around us. The brain is a key component in the successful functioning of the human body because it sends signals to other parts of the body to tell it what to do. Some reactions are even involuntary, called reflexes. A reflex is an almost immediate movement in response to a stimulus, which does not require a signal from the brain. Reflexes eliminate the concept of reaction time, which is also something the students are expected to know. When a person’s senses detect something about the surrounding environment, they alert the brain by sending messages through the nervous system. The brain then evaluates that message and sends another to whichever part of the body it decides needs to react in a particular way. This is called reaction time. The brain constantly receives signals from other body parts as well, which affect the next signals it will send. Therefore, the brain, nerves, senses, muscles, bones, and joints all work together in constant communication.

In addition to learning the content of this unit on how the human body moves, the students in 4th and 5th grade are expected to know how to act in a scientific setting. They should be capable of brainstorming questions they have about the topic being addressed, use available resources to gather data and information about that topic, and use that information to conclude their investigation with a reasonable explanation. The students should be ready and willing to listen to the conclusions of their peers and to analyze those explanations as well. Finally, the kids will have to organize their data, predictions, and explanations to create a model or demonstration of their new knowledge and communicate their ideas to their classmates.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY

1. Although the heart pumps blood, that blood does not return to the heart.

2. The body’s actions consist of only outwardly physical movements.

3. Nerves don’t exist as a functioning part of the human body.

4. Nerves are veins (students often mix these up when labeling).

5. The brain does not have an active role in involuntary behaviors.

6. The human body does certain things “automatically” because it does these things very often. Students still have difficulty grasping the idea that the brain is involved in controlling involuntary behavior.

7. The brain helps the body but the body does not help the brain in return.

8. The human body works in parts, not together.

9. The physical movements of the body are not connected to the signals from the brain.

10. Muscles push our body parts around; they can both push and pull.

11. Muscles are directly connected to the bones.

12. Muscles are not part in moving bones.

13. Muscles work alone to move.

14. There is only one type of muscle.

15. Calcium is the only thing needed to have strong bones.

16. Bones are dry, brittle, solid, and not living (when students think of bones, they often think of the skeleton figure that comes out around Halloween!). Students have a lot of trouble understanding that bones are actually living tissues that require lots of nourishment.

17. Joints bend.

18. Joints allow us to move (no, muscles do!).

SEQUENTIAL OUTLINE OF UNIT

Lesson # 1: Body Movements

Extension # 1: Skeletal System

Extension # 2: Analyze X-Rays (a center to come to in free time)

Lesson # 2: Muscles

Lesson Extension # 3: How Much Do Bones and Muscles Weigh? (connection to math)

Lesson # 3: Joints

Extension # 4: How Important Are Our Joints? (experiment with the importance of the joints in the fingers)

Lesson # 4: Types of Joints

Lesson # 5: Reactions and Senses

Lesson # 6: Reaction Time vs. Reflexes

Extension # 5: Can You Train Your Body NOT to have Certain Reflexes?

Extension # 6: What Do Your Muscles Need? (use as transition into respiratory system after this unit)

Lesson # 3: Joints

Movement takes place where two or more bones meet.

Purpose:

The human body moves at joints, where two or more bones meet. The purpose of this lesson is to help students identify where those joints are on their bodies and recognize just how frequently they use those joints. Before this lesson, the students will have already been introduced to body movements, specifically focusing on how the skeletal and muscular systems assist in movement. Logically, the next step for the students to take is to learn in detail exactly how the skeleton’s bones allow movement to occur. Therefore, this lesson consists of three mini-activities that, when completed in a sequence, will provide the class with a very clear description of what a joint is, what it is useful for, and where joints can be found on the human body.

Time: approximately 50 minutes

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will identify all of the places of their body where movement can occur.

2. Students will define the word joint and identify where many joints are located on the human body.

3. Students will explain why dolls, robots, action figures, and other toys can often move in ways that the human body cannot because they have a different arrangement of joints.

Standards:

NRC Standards

∙ Life Science Standard C (characteristics of organisms): Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking.

Science as Inquiry (for 4th and 5th grades) -

∙ Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.

∙ Employ simple and appropriate equipment and tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data and extend the senses.

∙ Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.

∙ Communicate investigations and explanations; recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.

Materials Needed:

∙ Lined paper

∙ Skeleton transparency

∙ Dolls, robots, action figure toys

∙ Dolls vs. Humans worksheet

Material Management:

The reason that this lesson is split up into three segments is to keep the class constantly re-thinking and re-evaluating their understanding of what a joint is. It is very easy for students to understand that joints are places where our body can move, but without careful teaching, they can easily come to assume that joints themselves actually bend when in fact the joints only allow our body to bend; the joints stay in one place. The beginning of this lesson consists of a introductory activity to get the students brainstorming about all of the many places on their bodies where movement occurs. Then they will be introduced to the word joint, along with its definition, and work to identify joints on a transparency on the overhead projector. This will allow all of the students to combine their ideas thus far and come up with a diagram and a list that the entire class can see.

For the next activity, the students will first listen to a set of instructions before playing a science game of Simon Says. Throughout this entire lesson, each set of instructions, along with teacher expectations, is announced to the class before they begin moving to start that activity. This eliminates unnecessary chaos and confusion in the classroom. For the “toys vs. humans” portion of this lesson, the students are called to the front of the room to get a doll only one or two at a time and then are sent to sit quietly with it until the class is ready. By calling the students only a couple at a time reduces crowding, pushing, and arguing around the toy bin, and by asking the students to put the toy on their desk and sit waiting for the rest of the class to select a toy will reduce noise and unnecessary playing with the toys. Finally, before wrapping up the lesson, I will have the students bring their toys back to the bin before we have our final discussion so that the kids are not distracted by them as we finish up. The kids will work independently with their doll, robot, or action figure so that this does not become a “play group.”

Student Misconceptions:

∙ Muscles push our body parts around.

∙ Joints bend.

∙ Joints allow us to move (no, muscles do!).

Instructional Activities:

Part 1: Introduction to Joints

1. Begin this lesson by telling the students that they will be exploring their joints today.

2. Explain to the kids that they will have 1 minute to move around in whatever way they want with the goal of trying to identify as many points on their bodies where movement is possible. After that minute is up, they should write down all of the places they found movement.

3. First, have each student take out a piece of lined paper. This is the paper they will write their “movement places” on.

4. Then, say GO and begin timing for one minute.

5. After the minute has passed, tell the students to stop moving, to head back to their seats, and to start writing down all of the places where they found that their bodies can move.

6. Go around the room asking each student to say one place on the body/body part that he or she listed.

7. Compile a list of these on the board as the students share what they wrote.

∙ Once the students have no new places on the body to add to the list, direct their attention to the projector screen.

8. Show them a transparency of the human skeleton. Explain to them that joints are the places where two or more bones meet – many of the places they listed just now are joints.

∙ Write the definition of “joint” on the board.

→ A joint is the place where two or more bones meet and they help the body to move.

9. Ask for a few volunteers to point out a joint on this skeleton (they can come up to the front of the room and circle that joint with an erasable marker.)

Part 2: Simon Says

1. To reinforce the location of the joints we use on a regular basis, we will play a game of Simon Says.

2. Explain to the students that we will play Simon Says, and that the teacher will begin as Simon. She will say a command (“Simon Says touch your nose”) and the class will follow.

∙ Tell the class that it can spread out around the room if the kids feel squished standing behind their desks.

3. After each command, the class will stop (they don’t have to stay in the position that the command required) and will try to identify all of the our joints that were just in use to make that movement possible.

∙ For example, if the students touched their noses, they used their elbow, one of the main joints of the human body. They may have also used their wrist or any of the joints in their fingers.

4. Play this game of Simon Says for at least 6 or 7 minutes, identifying many of the most commonly used joints in the body and really getting the students to think about how there are often many joints involved making just one simple movement.

Part 3: Dolls, Robots, and Action Figures

1. Next, transition into another mini-activity. Ask the students to stand where they are for a minute while you give the instructions for the next activity.

2. Explain to the kids that they will all come up to the front of the room when their name is called and take one doll, robot, or action figure toy out of the bin there.

∙ It is important to stress to the kids that they should not be “shopping” through this bin for a toy that they like, had when they were little, or think is “the coolest.” They should take the first toy that they see.

3. Once they have their toy, they will go back to their seats, put their toy on their desk, and wait quietly for the entire class to be seated.

4. They will then get 3 or 4 minutes to “play” with their toy to explore the ways in which it can move or bend. Explain to the kids that they should be taking this seriously because after this time is up they will have to complete a worksheet comparing and contrasting their doll, robot, or action figure to humans.

5. Once all the instructions have been explained, ask the students if they have any questions before they begin. Answer any that are asked.

6. Begin calling the students one at a time to come take a toy from the bin.

∙ Remind them as they come to the front of the room that they should go right back to their seats and wait quietly for the rest of the class to be ready. This is not extra “playtime” with their toy.

7. After each student has gotten a toy, tell them that they can begin exploring the movement abilities of that toy.

8. When 3 or 4 minutes have passed and it appears as though the students have discovered all the possible movements of their toy, pass out the worksheet which compares the toys to humans.

9. Give the class at least 10 minutes to work on this worksheet.

∙ Remind the students that they should still be working independently!

Part 4: Share and Wrap-Up

1. The students should be just about finished with their worksheets. Start asking some of the students to share what they learned.

∙ The student can come up to the front of the room, present his or her toy to the class, describe some of the movements that it could do, and explain how and why this differs from the movements of humans.

2. After a few volunteers have shared their work with the class, ask the class to please bring their toys back up to the bin, and begin to wrap up the lesson.

∙ Ask the students to refer back to the list of places where their bodies can move that they created in the beginning of science today.

∙ Ask them to look over their lists. Now knowing that joints are the places where two or more bones meet, are there any places on that list that are not joints? Why or why not? (talk about some of these as a class)

→ For example, the cheek, which can puff out, be sucked in, and stretch, is not a joint. However, the jaw, which can move up and down, and side to side, allowing the mouth to open and close and for our teeth to chew our food, is a joint.

3. Tell the kids that tomorrow in science we will be focusing on some of the particular types of joints, which include many of the joints we talked about today!

4. As the students leave the room, collect their worksheets and grade it them on a check plus, check, check minus scale. This grade can be entered as a regular assignment for the quarter.

Diverse Learners:

∙ For students in the class who need extra help academically, this lesson is diverse and reaches out to all 3 learning styles by incorporating visual reviews and written work along with verbal instruction (overhead projector and blackboard; lists and worksheet). It also allows the students to constantly be out of their seats and moving around, helping those who are bodily-kinesthetic learners.

∙ This can be a challenging lesson for students with physical disabilities, but during activities where they have to be moving around, the movements can be adapted to fit these children’s needs. For example, if a student is in a wheelchair and during the Simon Says game the teacher wants to emphasize the hip joint by asking the students to touch their toes, the student can simply reach for his or her toes while sitting, reaching only as far as possible.

References:

Basca, Belinda, Dianne Bell, Debra Garcia, Lauren Satterly, and Martha Sullivan. Human Body in Motion (Level/Grade 5). Chicago, IL: Science Companion and Pearson/Scott Foresman, 2005.

Lawrence Hall of Science & University of California at Berkeley. FOSS: Human Body (Teacher Guide). Nashua, NH: Delta Education, 2005.

National Science Education Standards Online: Chapter 6 (Content Standards)

Website:

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Name:

Toys VS. HUMANS!

Do dolls, robots, and action figures move like us?

What type of toy did you have? Please describe it as best you can, including characteristics such as size, shape, and hardness.

List the different movements that your doll, robot, or action figure can make:

Turn this page over!

Complete the venn diagram below that compares and contrasts the movement abilities of your toy to the movement abilities of yourself.

YOUR TOY YOU

Explain in at least 3 sentences why your toy could or could not complete some of the same body movements that you can. Make sure to use the new vocabulary word we’ve been focusing on today: joints!

Lesson # 4: Types of Joints

Ball and Socket, Hinge, and Gliding

Purpose:

The class recently spent almost an hour learning about the joints of the human body and where those joints are located. This next lesson will focus on the three main types of movable joints: ball and socket, hinge, and gliding. The purpose of this lesson is to show students that not every joint is the same, nor does every joint share the same range of motion. By re-identifying the joints of their bodies and then categorizing them into these three types, the students will better understand why their bodies have the abilities to move in the ways that it can, and not, for example, their fingers can’t bend all the way backwards or they can’t fold their bodies in half from their right side to their left. This lesson is located in the center of the unit on how the human body moves, acting as the top of the climb through each lesson before it and a transitioning/preparatory lesson for the Reactions and Senses lesson that comes after.

Time: approximately 50 minutes

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will identify where there are joints located in their bodies.

2. Students will define each of the 3 main types of movable joints, describe their range of motion, and provide examples of these joints.

3. Students will brainstorm about other parts of the human body that may work together with the joints to help the body move.

Standards:

NRC Standards

∙ Life Science Standard C (characteristics of organisms): Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking.

∙ Life Science Standard C (structure and function in living systems): The human organism has systems for digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, control, and coordination, and for protection from disease. These systems interact with one another.

Science as Inquiry (for 4th and 5th grades):

∙ Employ simple and appropriate equipment and tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data and extend the senses.

∙ Communicate investigations and explanations; recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.

∙ Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.

∙ Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.

Materials Needed:

∙ Types of Joints packet

∙ Door hinge

∙ Rotating shower head

∙ Skeleton model

Material Management:

This lesson is composed of several different parts. The first portion is a whole-class introduction to the types of joints of the body. To keep the students organized and to enhance their comprehension, the first page of their “Types of Joints” packet supports what is introduced in beginning of the lesson. There is careful instruction for the students to only complete this first page as we go along, and to not flip to the next page of the packet until told to do so.

The second part of the lesson consists of a revisit to the model limb the students made during the muscles lesson the week earlier. The students get back into the pairs that the teacher had arranged the week before, to prevent groups of friends fooling around during the lesson. The pairs are asked to pick one person to get and bring back their model limb from the work table. This will help to reduce a crowd of people around the table and keep the students in control. Also, each student will already have the instructions for this activity in their packet, which they are told to follow carefully with their group. This allows the teacher to freely walk around the room making sure the students are all on the right track and prompting them to think about how the body’s joints work.

Finally, the students complete the third page of their packet, which acts as review for the whole lesson. They work with their partners on this last part, and then share their answers for the last question with the class, closing the lesson. While there is a lot going on in this lesson, the students are given careful instruction before each segment, so that they know just what to do at all times.

Misconceptions:

∙ The human body works in parts, not together.

∙ Muscles push our body parts around; they can both push and pull.

∙ Muscles are directly connected to the bones.

∙ Muscles are not part in moving bones.

∙ Muscles work alone to move.

∙ Joints bend.

∙ Joints alone allow us to move.

Instructional Activities:

Part 1: Review what a joint is and introduce the 3 main types

1. Begin this lesson by asking the students to take out the list of joints they made the last time we had science.

2. Explain to the kids that not all of these joints move in the same way, so today we are going learn about the 3 main types of movable joints and figure out which type describes each one of the joints on our list.

∙ It is important for the teacher to understand here that there are definitely more than 3 movable joints (there are actually 6) and that there are two other categories of joints: immovable and slightly movable. However, because the students are only in 4th and 5th grade, providing them with this information would become a burden to them and would put more pressure on them to know all 8 types than to understand the basic movements that joints can have. At an older age, perhaps in biology, the students will be more ready to learn the joints in this much detail.

3. As a class, ask the students to go through their lists. Ask for volunteers to raise their hand and name from their list a place where the body moves. Then ask what type of motion does the body make there?

∙ If the students need prompts here, suggest side to side, open and close, and swivel or rotate.

4. As the students are naming these joints and their movements, categorize them on the blackboard. Make columns of the joints that share the same type of movement and title those columns with the motion that they can make.

∙ Guide the students’ answers into 3 main columns to segue into the next part of the lesson.

5. Once the class has gone through its lists, pass out the “Types of Joints” packet.

6. Ask the students to look at the first page of this packet. Have them take a minute to write down the definition of a joint (it should still be on the board from last class for all of the students who don’t remember) on the first part of that packet. When they are finished they should look up and not continue yet.

7. Explain to the class that even though we may have come up with more than 3 columns of joint movements, there are 3 main types of moveable joints, which I will demonstrate.

Part 2: Demonstration of the 3 main types of movable joints

1. Make sure that the class’s attention is still up at the front of the room. Explain to the students that the column of joints that they made that all fit under the swivel/rotate motion category are BALL AND SOCKET JOINTS.

2. Tell the kids that the ball and socket joint is similar to this shower head. It allows parts of one’s body to rotate in almost every direction. Demonstrate this by rotating shower head around in a circle, and moving in up and down, side to side.

3. In order to check that the students understand, ask one of them to stand up at their desk and demonstrate how the elbow is a ball and socket joint.

4. Write the definition of a ball and socket joint on the board and ask the students to write it down in the space provided on their packet.

∙ Ball and Socket Joint - a joint in which one bone has a round end that fits into a cup-like cavity on another bone. This joint provides a person with a wide range rotational movement.

∙ Examples: shoulders, hips.

5. Ask the students to look up when they’re finished writing.

6. Moving on to the next joint, pick up the door hinge. Tell the kids that the column of joints that they made that all fit under the open-and-close motion category are called HINGE JOINTS.

7. Tell the kids that the hinge joint is similar to a door hinge, because it allows parts of one’s body to move along a straight line, folding in one direction but not in the other. Demonstrate this by opening and closing the door hinge and showing that it can only move in limited directions.

8. In order to check that the students understand this, ask another student to stand up at their desk and demonstrate how the elbow is a hinge joint.

9. Write the definition of a hinge joint on the board and ask the students to write it down in the space provided on their packet.

∙ Hinge Joint – a joint in which two bones move open and closed like the hinges on a door.

∙ Examples: elbows, knees, fingers, and toes.

10. Ask the students to look up when they’re finished writing.

11. Finally, the last joint we will go over is the GLIDING JOINT. Tell the kids that the gliding joint is a tricky one to describe. Can anyone guess an example of a gliding joint from the lists on the board?

∙ Stop when someone guesses wrist or ankle. Ask them why they think these are examples of a gliding joint.

12. Tell the kids that a gliding joint allows for a range of motion that almost makes it seem like a combination of the ball and socket and hinge joints. The ankle, for example, can rotate and twist a little, and can also bend forwards AND backwards. Demonstrate this by showing the students the range of motion of the ankle on the life-sized skeleton, pointing out how the bones of the ankle gently slide over each other during movement.

∙ Give the kids a minute to move their wrists and ankles around slowly, feeling all of these different movements.

13. Write down the definition of a gliding joint on the board and ask the students to write it down in the space provided on their packet.

∙ Gliding Joint – a joint in which two mostly flat bone surfaces move against each other allowing sliding or twisting without any circular movement.

∙ Examples: ankles, wrists.

14. Ask the students to look up when they’re finished writing.

Part 3: Activity – Investigate the hinge joint in your limb

1. Before the students open their packet to the next page, ask them to listen to these instructions.

2. They will be recollecting their limb models of either an arm or leg, which they created last week. They will then investigate that limb to find (who would’ve guessed!) that there is in fact a joint that allows it to function properly, as well as the muscles and bones that they learned about when making that model!

3. The students will get back together with their partners from the muscles lesson (which the teacher picked) and will work together to figure out which type of joint their model demonstrates (hinge joint).

4. Tell the kids that once they are with their partner, they should nominate one person to be the “getter” for the limb model, which will be arranged with the others on the work table.

5. The students will work spread out around the room to investigate their limbs.

6. Their models should consist of at least 2 “bones,” a “joint,” and at least 2 “muscles,” not only demonstrating the folding motion of the hinge joint but also proving that the joints (along with the muscles or bones) cannot work alone in helping the body move – the skeletal system and muscular system clearly help too!

∙ In a real elbow or knee, there will be tendons and ligaments too, which connect muscle to bone or muscle to muscle. However, for this lesson we will not go into that much detail, but, if the students ask about these or about the materials of their model that would represent tendons and ligaments, do not hesitate to take advantage of the teachable moment and explain what they are.

7. As the students are investigating their models, walk around to each group to see how they’re doing. Help them figure out what each component of the model is and realize that the joints of the human body cannot work alone to help the body move.

Part 4: Wrap-up

1. Ask the students to carefully put down their limb models when they are finished with their investigations and work with their partners to complete page 3 of their packets. This page reviews all that the students have learned in this lesson.

2. Once they are finished with this, close the lesson by asking the students to share what they put for their last answer (about Carl’s lasso and his elbow seeming like a ball and socket joint).

3. After hearing a few answers, explain to the kids that Carl thought his elbow might have been a ball and socket joint instead of a hinge joint because he was combining some of the movements of his wrist (twisting) and his shoulder (moving diagonally up and down) when thinking about the lassoing movement of his elbow! (Demonstrate this lasso motion slowly to the class during this explanation.

4. Ask the kids leave their limb models on the side work table so that I can add them to our human body display.

5. As a final thought, ask them be continually thinking about the different parts of the body that work together that help to make it move. Are there any parts of the body that we did not talk about today that are involved? We will find out during our next science lesson!

Diverse Learners:

∙ This can be a difficult lesson because introducing the new terms and types of joints requires a lot of whole-class instruction. However, the examples provided (the shower head and the door hinge) should help those who are struggling with the concepts of each type of joint and will also break up the writing portion of the lesson a little bit.

∙ This lesson incorporates activities for all 3 types of learners, visual, auditory, and bodily-kinesthetic. The discussions are supported with notes written on the board, and then there is a group activity in which students can work together to reinforce their knowledge of the hinge joint. The packet ties all the components of the lesson together.

References:

Basca, Belinda, Dianne Bell, Debra Garcia, Lauren Satterly, and Martha Sullivan. Human Body in Motion (Level/Grade 5). Chicago, IL: Science Companion and Pearson/Scott Foresman, 2005.

Benchmarks Online: Chapter 15 (Student Misconceptions)

Website:

Lawrence Hall of Science & University of California at Berkeley. FOSS: Human Body (Teacher Guide). Nashua, NH: Delta Education, 2005.

National Science Education Standards Online: Chapter 6 (Science as Inquiry)

Website:

PAGE 1 Name:

Types of joints!

What is the definition of “joint?” Write the definition in the space below to refresh your memory.

JOINT -

There are 3 main types of movable joints. Next to each type of joint listed below, write its definition.

1. Ball and Socket Joint -

Examples:

2. Hinge Joint -

Examples:

3. Gliding Joint -

Examples:

STOP HERE!

DO NOT CONTINUE YET!

PAGE 2 Name:

Investigating Your Limb Model:

Is There a Joint?

Take a few minutes with your partner to take a close look at your limb model. Then answer the following questions.

1. Did you make an arm model or a leg?

2. Is there a joint in your model? How can you tell?

3. What material(s) in your model represent the joint?

4. What type of joint is the one in your model? (HINT: think about the 3 types we talked about earlier!) How can you tell?

You’re almost done!

Turn the page…

PAGE 3 Name:

PART 2: REVIEW! Answer the following questions with your partner. These questions review all that we’ve done on joints so far.

1. What are the 3 types of movable joints? Next to each type, list at least one example of that type of joint.

1. __________________________________________

2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

2. Do the body’s joints work alone to make the body move? What other body parts may help them? (It may help to look back at your model of an arm or leg. What other objects are parts of your model and what do those objects represent?)

3. Think hard! Carl’s class is studying the human body and how joints move. His teacher said that the elbow is a hinge joint that moves back and forth in one direction.

After school, Carl was practicing his rope-throwing skills for the junior rodeo. He swung his lasso up over his head and thought that his elbow was moving more like a ball-and-socket joint.

Try this lassoing motion yourself. What would you tell Carl about his idea that the elbow moved like a ball-and-socket joint?

Lesson # 5: Reactions & Senses

How do our senses work together with the rest of our bodies?

Purpose:

All of the parts of the human body are constantly at work together to make us carryout even the simplest of activities. Whether we are reading a book, eating lunch, or climbing the monkey bars during recess, multiple parts of our body are involved. The purpose of this lesson is to help students to understand that bones, muscles, and joints are still not all that help our bodies move; instead, nerves carry signals from our brain to our muscles and other parts of our body to signal certain movements or responses. In particular, our five senses assist in alerting our nerves to send such messages. This lesson is designed to be one of the last lessons of a unit on how the human body moves, tying in one’s reactions and senses with the nervous system. The students will have already learned and reviewed the roles of muscles and joints in body movements, so they will be prepared to tackle a new concept. In the next lesson they will follow up with reactions and reflexes to end the unit.

Time: approximately 50-55 minutes

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will define three new vocabulary words: brain, nerve, and nervous system and be able to locate them on a diagram

2. Students will identify the difference between the nervous system and being nervous (an emotion)

3. Students will explain how each of the five senses connects to the nervous system

Standards:

NRC Standards

∙ Life Science Content Standard C (characteristics of organisms): The behavior of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues and by external cues. Humans and other organisms have senses that help them detect internal and external cues.

Science as Inquiry (for 4th and 5th grades)

∙ Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.

∙ Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.

∙ Communicate investigations and explanations; recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.

∙ Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.

AAAS Benchmark 6C

∙ The Human Organism: Basic Functions: The brain gets signals from all parts of the body telling what is going on there. The brain also sends signals to parts of the body to influence what they do.

Materials Needed:

∙ Diagram of the nervous system

∙ Beach ball

∙ Blindfolds

∙ Small guppy in fish tank

∙ Sour candy

∙ Pepper

∙ Ice cubes

∙ Tape player

∙ Tape of animal sounds

∙ Projector/computer (to show video clip)

Material Management:

In Part 1, I will keep the class together and introduce the topic to them. This will help me keep the classroom controlled while they are thinking and brainstorming about the new concepts involved in this lesson. The diagram will also be located in the front of the room, easily visible to all students. In Part 2, I will explain the demonstration/activity before it is completed and still keep the students together as a whole class while continuing to reflect on the topic of reactions and senses. This will keep the students’ focus on me as I move on to describe the next activity. In Part 3, I will have the groups picked out ahead of time, to minimize unneeded chaos, and clear directions will be at each station. I will be walking around during this time to encourage student thought and make sure that all students are following the correct procedures. Part 4, the close-up, will take place at the students’ desks, away from the distractions of the station materials.

Student Misconceptions:

∙ The body’s actions consist of only outwardly physical movements.

∙ Nerves don’t exist as a functioning part of the human body

∙ Nerves are the same thing as veins.

∙ The human body does certain things “automatically” because it does these things very often. Students still have difficulty grasping the idea that the brain is involved in controlling involuntary behavior.

∙ The brain helps the body but the body does not help the brain in return.

Instructional Activities:

Part 1: Whole-Class Introduction on the Nervous System

1. Remind the students that they are in the middle of a unit about how the body moves.

∙ This would be a good time to refer back to the KWL chart that they started on day one.

∙ Ask the students to take out the charts and see if they listed anything about the brain or nerves. Explain to them that there are the things we will be focusing on today.

2. Introduce the main vocabulary associated with the nervous system: brain, nerve, and nervous system

∙ Ask the students to first each write down their own definition of what they think each words means in relations to the unit we’ve been working on regarding how the human body moves.

∙ Reveal to the students the “textbook” definition of each word and ask them to write those definitions down under their original ideas.

→ Brain: The “command central” of the nervous system. The brain receives information sent through the body’s nerve network, makes decisions based on this information, and sends instructions out to the body parts that will carry them out.

→ Nerve: The “cable wires” of the body. Nerves carry signals to and from the brain.

→ Nervous System: A system that forms a communication network allowing one part of the body to rapidly communicate with another.

∙ Ask the students how similar and different these new definitions are to what they originally wrote down.

∙ Show the students a diagram of the nervous system and have a volunteer point out and label the brain and a nerve.

3. Is being nervous the same as the nervous system?

∙ Bring up the concept of nervousness and have the students discuss with the person next to them why this emotion is or is not part of the nervous system.

∙ Reinforce the differences and similarities with the class as a whole. Let the kids debate for a few minutes about what they think is true, but eventually explain to them that while the emotional feeling of being nervous is a result of the nervous energy that originates in the nerves, the feeling itself is not a direct piece of the nervous system.

→ For example, let’s say you are getting ready to perform in an orchestra concert. You hear the performance of the group before you, along with all the cheers of the audience. Your sense of hearing tells you that that group performed very well. Your nervous system alerts your brain of this information, and your brain sends a signal to your endocrine system (glands – you’re sweaty!), digestive system (stomach – you feel “butterflies!”), and other systems, culminating in your feeling of nervousness. Therefore, although this feeling occurs because of the signals sent through the nervous system, it is in fact separate from it.

Part 2: Demonstration and Discussion

1. Have the students stand in a circle (not too close together) and tell them they’re going to work together to demonstrate how the nerves send signals to our brain

∙ The students may be confused at this point, but tell them that that is ok. Just follow these directions.

2. Explain to the students that for a few minutes they are going to toss a beach ball around this circle.

∙ Rules: they can toss the ball to anyone in the circle that they want but there is no talking aloud.

→ Only underhand tosses are appropriate, please.

3. After a few minutes have passed and every student has caught the ball at least once, ask the students to stop.

∙ Give the kids a minute to think about what they observed and what they did.

4. Discussion

∙ What did they notice about how they caught the ball? What allowed them to catch it? Why do they think I told them they couldn’t speak? (So that no student was prepared by his or her sense of sound that they should attempt to catch the ball)

∙ Call on one student at a time to share his or her ideas.

∙ Ask for one or two volunteers to each write one sentence on the blackboard that describes how they think their sense of sight helped them. Before they begin, tell them that they should try to use the words nerve and brain if they can (write these 2 words on the board).

∙ Between the sharing and the sentences, essentially, you want the kids to recognize that their sense of sight helped them to catch the ball.

∙ In order to segue into the next part of the lesson, tell the students that there are other senses that provide our bodies with important information that it uses when it moves.

→ Can they name the other senses?

∙ After they have done this, explain to them that they will now be going to different stations to learn more about each of the senses and how they work with the brain and nervous system to provide their bodies with important information about their environment.

→ While the students are at these stations, they will have to write a sentence, like the ones written on the board, to explain how they think that particular sense helped them. Explain that they should try to use the words nerve and brain in at least two of their sentences.

Part 3: Student Investigations (5 stations)

1. Introduction

∙ Point out the five stations set up around the room.

∙ Explain to the students that they are going to get into groups of 4 or 5, which I have already picked out.

∙ After I call out the groups, I will assign each group a station to start with, and from there the kids will move around to each station when I ring my bell and tell them to switch. They will move in a clockwise direction from one station to the next.

∙ At each station the students are to read the instruction sheet that describes a task. The students should pick amongst themselves one or two students (however many is needed) to perform each task while the rest of the group members make observations about what was happening.

∙ The observations should focus on the way their senses are helping the students complete the task. Make sure the students who performed the task add in their own observations as well – this is crucial! As a group, conclude which sense the task is focusing on.

∙ Each student should write one sentence in their science notebooks explaining how that sense helped them.

∙ At each activity, students should rotate between who gets to complete the tasks and who gets to observe.

∙ Students will have about 4 minutes at each station.

2. Conduct activities at each station

∙ Station # 1 (Sense of Smell)

→ The students are asked to wear a blindfold and smell the unknown contents of a container (pepper!). The kids should be particularly careful when passing around the container.

→ The observations should ideally include how the students who smelled the pepper sneezed, scrunched their noses, or reacted with dislike to the strong pepper smell.

∙ Station # 2 (Sense of Sight)

→ The students are asked to find the baby guppy in the fish tank.

→ The observations should ideally describe how the students in search of the guppy squinted, bent over the tank, and moved their bodies for a closer look until they found it.

∙ Station # 3 (Sense of Touch)

→ One student is asked to pick up an ice cube and gently touch it against another students arm

→ The observations should ideally describe how the student whose arm the ice cube touched shivered, make a gasping sound, or jumped away at the touch of the ice cube.

∙ Station # 4 (Sense of Sound)

→ The students should push the play button on a tape player, and they will hear a series of animal noises. They should try to figure out what animal or animals they hear.

→ The observations should ideally describe how easy or difficult it was for the students to identify what animals they were listening to.

∙ Station # 5 (Sense of Taste)

→ The students that are not allergic to or dislike sour candy are asked to each taste one piece

→ The observations should ideally describe how the kids are scrunching their faces. It may also be important to have the students consider how their mouth reacted – did they salivate? Are they thirsty?

Part 4: Closure and Review

1. Ask the students what they found at each activity

∙ Compile a list on the chalkboard of ways in which each sense helped body react certain ways to certain tasks (based on the students’ observations

∙ Ideally, the students should begin to grasp the concept that our senses have a direct impact on the actions our body carries out. Also, they should begin to recognize that when one of their senses is being blocked or limited, their ability to recognize what is going on in their environment is impacted.

2. What are some other examples of instances when your senses alert your nerves to send messages to the brain?

∙ Ask the students to brainstorm for a minute about this idea

∙ Ask several students to share an example

3. Summary/Big Idea: Senses help the nerves to send messages to your brain

∙ Show the students the first 20 seconds or so of the animated clip from The Human Body: Nervous System clip ()

4. Things you’ve learned

∙ Remind the students about the KWL chart that they did in the beginning of the unit.

∙ Ask them for homework to write two or three sentences about what they have learned from the reactions and senses lesson. If they have come up with new things they may want to learn or questions that they have, they write those down too. These things will be added to the KWL chart the next day.

5. Connect to next lesson

∙ Talk about what the students will be doing in the next lesson: an experiment on reflexes and reaction time. Explain to the students that this lesson will use some of the senses that they used today in testing how quickly one can react to a situation while another of their senses is impaired.

Diverse Learners:

∙ This lesson addresses diverse learners by incorporating all 3 learning styles (visual, auditory, and bodily-kinesthetic), as well as allows the students to work in groups. For any student who is struggling with the concepts of this lesson, working in small groups will allow their peers to help them. Also, they can easily be given more prompts and questions by the teacher to scaffold their learning.

References:

AOL Video – “The Human Body: Nervous System”



Basca, Belinda, Dianne Bell, Debra Garcia, Lauren Satterly, and Martha Sullivan. Human Body in Motion (Level/Grade 5). Chicago, IL: Science Companion and Pearson/Scott Foresman, 2005.

Benchmarks Online: Chapter 15 (Student Misconceptions)

Website:

National Science Education Standards Online: Chapter 6 (Science as Inquiry)

Website:

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Lesson # 6: Reaction Time and Reflexes

How quickly can our senses alert our brains and muscles?

Purpose:

Muscles don’t work alone in helping us move; instead, nerves carry signals from our brain to our muscles and other parts of our body to signal certain movements or responses. In particular, our five senses assist in alerting our nerves to send such messages. The purpose of this lesson is to help students further understand how the brain and muscles work together with our senses in a reaction. They will also be clarifying how a reflex is an automatic reaction, one that occurs involuntarily. This lesson is designed to be the last lesson of a unit on how the human body moves, tying in one’s reactions and senses with the nervous system. The students will wrap-up all that they’ve learned on this topic throughout this lesson.

Time: approximately 45 minutes

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will define the term “reaction time” on their own through the investigation, as well as with the whole class in the final discussion. (Reaction time is the length of time it takes for the brain to sense a movement and for the muscles to react to it.)

2. Students will compare and contrast their predictions of the activity with their findings and will be able to explain why there results were similar or different.

3. Students will identify real life examples of reaction time and reflex after completing the activity.

4. Students will define “reflex” after completing a short activity that demonstrates what a reflex is.

Standards:

NRC Standards

∙ Life Science Content Standard C (characteristics of organisms): The behavior of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues and by external cues. Humans and other organisms have senses that help them detect internal and external cues.

Science as Inquiry (for 4th and 5th grades)

∙ Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.

∙ Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.

∙ Communicate investigations and explanations; recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.

∙ Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.

∙ Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.

∙ Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.

AAAS Benchmark 6C

∙ The Human Organism: Basic Functions: The brain gets signals from all parts of the body telling what is going on there. The brain also sends signals to parts of the body to influence what they do.

Materials Needed:

∙ Meter sticks (as many as half the number of students in the class)

∙ Calculators

∙ Reaction Time handout

Material Management:

In Part 1, we will demonstrate and explain the experiment that the students will be completing in pairs. This will help to eliminate any confusion as they begin the activity on their own. Also, we will pick the pairs out for them to minimize unneeded chaos. During Part 2, we will be walking around to make sure that no students are struggling with the experiment or using the materials inappropriately, and will offer help and guidance when necessary. During Part 3, the students will return to their seats to participate in a large-class discussion and review of the results of the experiment, as well as a mini-activity about reflexes. This will keep the class focused and help encourage them to listen to what their peers have to say as they reflect on the lesson.

Student Misconceptions:

∙ The body’s actions consist of only outwardly physical movements.

∙ Nerves don’t exist as a functioning part of the human body (students often label nerves as veins).

∙ The human body does certain things “automatically” because it does these things very often. Students still have difficulty grasping the idea that the brain is involved in controlling involuntary behavior.

∙ The brain helps the body but the body does not help the brain in return.

Instructional Activities:

Part 1: Whole-Class Introduction to Reaction Time Experiment

1. Begin the lesson by modeling an activity that the students will perform which measures their reaction times under certain conditions.

∙ You can ask for volunteers to demonstrate or can just explain the experiment thoroughly.

2. Explain to the students that this lesson follows up on the ideas and concepts that they learned in the Human Body/Movement Unit thus far, especially in the Reactions and Senses lesson. Explain to the students that nerves carry signals from our brain to our muscles and other parts of our body to signal certain movements or responses. Our five senses are important to assist in alerting our nerves to send these messages, and the experiment they will be conducting will help the students understand how the brain works with the muscles and senses in a reaction.

3. They will be working in pairs that the teacher will/has already set up

∙ Each pair will have one meter stick and one partner will stand (carefully!!) on a chair and drop the meter stick through the other’s finders while he or she is trying to catch it between their thumb and forefinger.

4. On the handout provided, the students will have to record the distance in centimeters from the top of the meter stick (where the first partner initially let go) and where the other partner caught it.

∙ The lower the number of centimeters, the faster the reaction time.

5. This experiment will be completed in 3 segments of 3 trials each.

∙ The first segment will be just as described.

→ This highlights the use of one’s sense of sight and how that affects reaction time.

∙ During the second segment, the student catching the meter stick will close his or her eyes, and the student dropping the meter stick will say “now” when they drop it.

→ This highlights the use of one’s sense of sound and how that affects reaction time.

∙ During the third segment, the student catching the meter stick will keep his or her eyes closed, and the student dropping the meter stick will touch their partner on the shoulder when he or she drops it.

→ This highlights the use of one’s sense of touch and how that affects reaction time.

∙ After the first three trials of each segment, the partners will switch positions so that each student has his or her own data to record on the handout.

Part 2: Student Investigations

1. After meeting up with their partners, the students will gather their materials for the experiment.

∙ 1 meter stick, 2 handouts (one for each student)

2. The students will first complete the first portion of the handout that asks them to predict how they think closing their eyes for the second two segments of the experiment will affect their reaction times.

3. Complete the experiment. Remind the students that the should keep the zero-marker of the meter stick at the bottom when holding the meter stick vertically, to make it easier to measure how long it took them to catch it.

∙ Record individual data as you complete each step of the experiment

∙ Follow the directions on the handout to calculate the averages of your reaction times for each segment of the experiment (for the sake of time, students can use a calculator).

4. On the second page of the handout, summarize your results.

∙ Were they what you expected?

∙ Why or why not?

Part 3: Discussion (Including Reflexes)

1. Bring the class back together at their seats.

2. Ask how many students found results that were what they expected.

∙ Ask several of those students why they think this happened.

3. Ask how many students found results that were not what they expected.

∙ Ask several of those students why they think this happened.

→ Could there have been other factors that may have attributed to these results? (Such as counting down before dropping the ruler instead of just saying “now,” or grabbing the ruler with a fist rather than catching it between one’s thumb and the rest of their fingers)

4. Reinforce the definition of reaction time.

∙ Explain to students that reaction time is the length of time (in our case measured by distance) that passes between the moment when one’s senses become aware of something and the body to react to it. (Have them write this definition down on their handout)

∙ Brainstorm with the students about different ways that reactions occur in every day life.

→ For example, our definition does not just apply to reacting to objects. One can react to heat by moving away from a hot stove and to light by covering his or her eyes when someone turns on the lights in a dark room.

∙ Reaction time can improve with practice.

∙ Some senses may be stronger/faster in helping alert the nervous system to send signals to your brain while others may be weaker/slower.

5. Introduce the concept of a reflex.

∙ A reflex is a type of reaction, but what makes it unique?

∙ Ask the students to turn to the person next to them, and have one person clap their hands close to the other student’s face. Then switch.

∙ Turn and Talk: What did they notice that happened as the students clapped near each other’s faces?

→ Essentially, the students are going to want to reach the conclusion that they blinked.

∙ Blinking is a reflex, or an automatic response of the nervous system. In actions like blinking, involuntary muscle movements, or movements that do not need signals sent to the brain, will cause you to make movements without thinking about them. (Have the students write this definition down on their handout)

∙ Brainstorm with the students other ways that they carryout out reflexes in everyday life.

→ For example, when a student puts his or her hand on a pot of boiling water, it is a reflexive movement for them to take their hand off of it. This is something the body involuntarily makes a person do, without them having to think about it. Another example the students can relate to is when the doctor taps their kneecaps with a pallet during a physical.

Part 4: Closure and Review

1. This is the end of the unit on how the body moves. Ask the students to take a minute to think back on the lessons we’ve done.

2. Remind them about the KWL chart that was started in the first lesson.

3. In order to “finish” that chart, for homework the students are going to describe in a paragraph all of the ways in which their skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems are allowing them to move in during an activity that they did that day.

∙ The students can look back on all of their notes/handouts for help if they need to.

∙ They will not be going into further detail (such as drawing and labeling pictures) for this homework assignment because they will be doing something similar in a larger assessment project for the entire unit.

Diverse Learners:

∙ For students in this class who may be struggling with the concepts related to how the human body moves, this lesson really presents the idea of reaction time in a practical way that they can see and understand. Working with a partner on such a fun, hands-on activity will help to keep all of the children of the class engaged in the lesson. Also, as a class we will be talking about reactions that occur in everyday life, so that the students can apply the knowledge they just gained to their own lives.

References:

Basca, Belinda, Dianne Bell, Debra Garcia, Lauren Satterly, and Martha Sullivan. Human Body in Motion (Level/Grade 5). Chicago, IL: Science Companion and Pearson/Scott Foresman, 2005.

→ Part of this lesson uses adaptations and ideas from Lessons 4 and 5 in this curriculum.

Benchmarks Online: Chapter 15 (Student Misconceptions)

Website:

Name: __________________________________ Date: ____________

Partner’s Name: _____________________________

Reaction Time Experiment

Predict!

How do you think closing your eyes will affect your reaction time? Why?

Experiment!

You will be conducting 3 trials for each of the 3 parts of this experiment. For each trial, record the distance (in centimeters) from the top of the ruler (where your partner first let go) to where you caught it. After completing all 3 parts calculate the average distances for each part and record it in the last row of the table.

Part 1: You can use all your senses in this trial. Catch the ruler as soon as your partner lets go of it.

Part 2: Close your eyes and have your partner say “now” when he or she drops the ruler to signal you to catch it.

Part 3: Close your eyes and have your partner touch your shoulder when he or she drops the ruler.

| |Part 1 (sight) |Part 2 (sound) |Part 3 (touch) |

|Distance (cm) for trial 1 | | | |

|Distance (cm) for trial 2 | | | |

|Distance (cm) for trial 3 | | | |

|Average distance (cm) | | | |

Results:

Were your results what you expected? Why or why not?

\

Unit Extension # 4

How important are your joints?

Goal: Students will investigate with the joints in their fingers to test how important joints are in tasks that they easily complete without much consideration every day.

Activity: This experiment will begin with a brainstorming activity, asking the class as a whole: in what ways do the joints in your fingers allow you to carryout your life in the ways that you do? Write student suggestions on the board for them to see throughout the activity. Begin by explaining to the students that one or two of the joints in both of their hands will be immobilized and stiff for this upcoming activity. Each student will work with a partner, and in that pair, one person will have both of their thumbs taped so that they are immovable, and the other person will have two of their fingers immobilized on each hand. The partner who agrees to have his or her thumb taped will secure one end of a craft stick to the tip of their thumb and the other end should be taped to the students wrist (it works best to wrap the tape around the thumb and again around the entire wrist). The remaining partner will tape a craft stick from the tips of their middle and index fingers down to their wrist, again taping around the fingers and around the wrist.

The students should work with their partners to help first tape one hand of each person before attempting to do the second hand – this is where things already begin to get difficult. Once all the students’ hands are taped appropriately, the pairs will have 20 minutes to try to complete 4 tasks (all materials will be provided in a bin to each group).

Task # 1: Link six large paperclips together to make a chain. Link them into a circle and wear it like a bracelet. Then, take the paperclips apart again.

Task # 2: Open the plastic bag full of pennies. Take out 10 pennies, and put 5 in a stack in front of you. Then put all the pennies back in the bag.

Task # 3: Open the film canister filled with popcorn kernels, pour them into the screw-cap bottle, screw the lid on, and close the vial. Then, reverse the procedure.

Task # 4: Roll up a piece of newspaper and put two rubber bands around it. Put the rolled newspaper into a plastic shopping bag. Then, tie the bag in a knot.

Regardless of whether or not all of the students complete all tasks successfully, the students will stop after 20 minutes and un-tape their hands. They will take a few minutes to fill out a handout on their success or lack thereof and to write a reflection on what it felt like to try to do such simple tasks without the mobility of certain joints. We will then come back together as a whole class to discuss their experiences. Overall, the students will come to the realization that their joints, even the small ones in their fingers, enable them to do just about every physical activity there is.

Name:

Partner’s Name:

WHAT IT’S Like to Have No Joints

PART 1: In the chart below, please record the results of you and your partner the finger-taping experiment. What actions were you unable to do?

|☺ |Were you able to |Describe what movements you and/or your partner could not perform for each task. |

| |complete the task? | |

| |Write YES or NO. | |

|TASK 1: Paperclips in Chain | | |

|TASK 2: Pennies in Stack | | |

|TASK 3: Popcorn Kernels and Vial | | |

|TASK 4: Newspaper and Plastic Bag | | |

TURN THIS PAGE OVER!

PART 2: Reflect on how it felt to try to do such simple tasks with limited mobility because your joints were taped. Were you frustrated? Angry? In the space below, write at least one full paragraph describing how you felt and what you have come to realize about the value of joints from this lesson.

PLEASE HAND THIS WORKSHEET IN!

Unit Extension # 5

Do Reflexes have to be Automatic?

Goal: Students will discover that some reflexes, such as blinking your eyes, can be conditioned not to occur under certain circumstances. However, this is only the case when the students have advanced knowledge of what will happen in their environment that would trigger that reflex.

Activity:

As a follow-up activity to the Reaction Time and Reflexes lesson, the students will work in small groups and design their own experiment testing whether or not they can train their bodies not to blink when an action occurs close to their face. The students will have a lot of flexibility in designing their experiment; however, they must follow all of the regulations that go along with conducting an accurate and reliable science experiment. They also will not be permitted to test their theories using actions that may put one or more students in danger. For example, they cannot try throwing objects at a student’s head to see if he or she can withhold from blinking. The kids will have to get creative with this, making their own hypothesis as a group (based on their brainstormed predictions) and then a procedure to test it.

Each student will be provided with a handout on which they will make their original predictions (write out their hypothesis), list the steps of their experiment, and record their data in a chart. After the experiments are completed, each group will then create a quick poster describing what they tested, how they tested it, and what they concluded. These will be presented to the class at the end of the lesson, providing the students who were not in that group to ask evaluate that experiment and ask questions.

Name:

Can I Train My Eyes NOT to Blink,

Even Though that Is a Reflex?

1. The members of my group are:

2. We predict that:

3. We will test this by:

4. These are the steps we will follow: (*Please number your steps!*)

5. In the space below, create a chart of some kind and record the data/results of your experiment. Your chart can and probably will look different than those of other groups. You should design it to best fit YOUR experiment.

Unit Extension # 6

Breathing for your Muscles

Goal: Students will discover that breathing delivers oxygen through their blood to their muscles. They will begin to conceptualize how much we depend on a healthy respiratory system.

Activity:

First begin with a discussion about breathing. What is it, how does it occur, and why is it important? Explain what a breathing rate is (the number of breaths taken in by the body in one minute) and then work towards helping the students recognize the effects that exercise has on their breathing. Time the students for one minute as they sit as their desks quietly and count the number of breaths they take (remind them that they are counting their breaths, not their pulse). Have each student record that number, and then ask them to spread out and do jumping jacks for one minute. Immediately after telling them to stop, have them count again for one minute how many breaths they take. Use this mini-activity to segue into a discussion regarding what they observed about their breathing rates, how they changed, and why this may have happened.

On a poster of the respiratory system, trace the path that oxygen must take to get to our bloodstreams and point out the organs that are involved. Tell the students that we’re going to do another activity to learn how the body depends on the lungs to bring oxygen from the air into the body. Distribute straws to each student in the class. First ask them to predict on their handout how using this straw to breath, preventing them to breathe deeply, will affect their ability to do certain things. Next ask them to predict what would happen if they had their nose pinched as well. Give the students 10 minutes or so to try to complete several of the tasks or activities the students thought would be impaired by not being able to breathe deeply and stress the importance of recording their observations (also on their handout). After bringing the class together, encourage the students to share their findings and end with a wrap-up discussion on how their observations about breathing relate to the way our respiratory systems bring oxygen to (and carbon dioxide from) the body. Focus on why it was difficult to continue moving when breathing through the straw because the children’s muscles were not getting enough oxygen to keep them moving. Further question prompts could include:

1. What are some things that make it harder for us to breathe? (pollution, pollen, cigarette smoke, colds, lung cancer…)

2. How would the student’s daily life be affected if they could only take small breaths?

3. Do you know anyone who has trouble breathing? How are they affected by this?

Name:

I Breathe Hard for My Muscles!

STEP 1: Predict! How will breathing through a straw affect your body’s ability to move? Is there anything you think you WILL NOT be able to do?

STEP 2: Try It! Attempt to carry out a few different activities and record how it felt to do them in the space below.

Were you successful? Did you feel light headed? Frustrated?

1. Activity:

Results:

2. Activity:

Results:

3. Activity:

Results:

STEP 3: Write at least two sentences explaining why you think your body reacted in the ways that it did while breathing through a straw. What might your body not have been getting enough of?

REFERENCES FOR ENTIRE UNIT

AOL Video – “The Human Body: Nervous System”



Basca, Belinda, Dianne Bell, Debra Garcia, Lauren Satterly, and Martha Sullivan. Human Body in Motion (Level/Grade 5). Chicago, IL: Science Companion and Pearson/Scott Foresman, 2005.

Benchmarks Online: Chapter 15 (Student Misconceptions)

Website:

Kids Health Video – “How the Body Works”

( ( How the Body Works ( Muscles ( Video)



Lawrence Hall of Science & University of California at Berkeley. FOSS: Human Body (Teacher Guide). Nashua, NH: Delta Education, 2005.

National Science Education Standards Online: Chapter 6 (Science as Inquiry)

Website:

Kerry Kennedy

ED 109.02

Spring 2008

REFLECTION

Developing this science unit was something different than I had ever done before. I have written many lesson plans in the past few years, but this was the first semester that I had to create an entire unit. Therefore, doing so was a bit of a struggle for me. To gather ideas, Erin and I started looking through a couple of elementary science curricula that we found in the ERC. Originally, we thought we’d be able to pull ideas for all six of our lessons from the one Science Companion/Scott Foresman curriculum Human Body in Motion (Level/Grade 5) that we really liked. However, as we began developing the unit in more detail, we realized that we didn’t have nearly enough information, nor did we know very much about the human body! I had to do a lot of extra research just to familiarize myself with the content of our unit and to re-learn how the human body works. Erin and I then created a new outline for our unit, which we have since revised several times, to make sure we covered to main concepts we wanted to teach about the human body (bones, muscles, joints, reactions, and reflexes), along with how all of those body parts constantly work together to allow the human body to move. We made our decisions about what to include based on how relevant it was to those sub-topics, and made sure that if we did include something, we could teach it in a fun, interactive lesson.

If I were teaching this unit in my elementary classroom, I would hope that my students walk away with a greater understanding of how the parts of the body work together to keep it moving and functioning. Even for the most simple, everyday activities, such as reading a book, hanging up one’s jacket, or playing tag on the playground, no one part of the body works alone. If they recognize this, and have a basic understanding of some of the body parts that work together, they will be more prepared for future science lessons and also be mentally equipped to answer some of the questions they once had about their own bodies.

I do feel like this unit would meet the needs of diverse learners because of the variety of the lessons of which it is composed. Each of our lessons reaches out to all three of the learning styles (visual, auditory, and bodily-kinesthetic), along with many of the multiple intelligences as well. As often as possible, we have the students use scientific inquiry to explore the movements of the human body and what makes them possible. There is an abundance of opportunity for extra guidance and scaffolding for students who may need it, and the students are also working in groups or pairs pretty frequently, which allows them to help each other to understand what they’re learning. For students with physical disabilities, some of these lessons may be a bit challenging, particularly because this entire unit is about body movement, but the movements can be adapted to fit the needs of individual children. For English Language Learners, the vocabulary may be difficult, but as often as possible Erin and I planned to write definitions on the board for the students to see and write down themselves. I also think that the group activities will help the ELL students because they’ll be able to follow the examples of their peers, even if they are having trouble reading the directions.

This science unit is definitely one that I would feel comfortable teaching in my future elementary classroom. I put a lot of time and effort into making sure I knew the content of the unit inside and out, even learning things that I knew wouldn’t be a part of the unit just in case the students might ask questions that stretch outside the boundaries of these lessons. I feel that the lessons present new information in interesting and fun ways, always keeping the kids involved in hands-on activities that convey the bigger science topics in ways that they can relate to. Just in creating the unit, I became excited about some of the lessons, so I know that the students would enjoy them too!

I believe that science is a very important subject to teach to young students and it will definitely be a part of my classroom instruction in the future. Without an understanding of even the most basic science concepts, I think that students are at a disadvantage in understanding the world around them, including what they learn in other subjects. Many educational topics blend together or overlap, specifically math and science at times, and I think that without knowledge of science, students may struggle in their other subject areas. Most importantly, I think that science is one of the subjects in which teachers can spark the most interest in learning in their students; it presents to the kids an entire world of things unknown, a whole realm of mysteries to solve. I want my students to look forward to coming to school and be passionate about what they’re learning, and I think science can help make that possible.

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X-Ray of Elbow

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X-Ray of Knee

X-Ray of Knee

Reflex:

When and where can you find reflexes in everyday life?

Reaction Time:

When and where can you find reactions in everyday life?

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